Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital SMART Edition of The Times-Tribune on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at thetimes-tribune.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device, read the Smart Edition sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Article Tools

TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE North Pocono’s Zac Lehman, who is unseeded, will face another unseeded player, Delaware Valley’s Carl Pallini, in one of today’s District 2 Class AAA semifinals.

North Pocono’s Zac Lehman felt pretty good about his game after playing some strong tennis during the District 2 Class AAA team tournament.

And he played with a quiet confidence that has led him to the semifinals of the singles event that is scheduled for today at 1 p.m. at Kirby Park.

“I am really happy with the way I played,” said Lehman, who confessed that after three matches on the first day of the tournament that he was sore.

“I was focusing on what I have been told and coached to do. I just really wanted it.”

A junior, Lehman, who was unseeded, will face Delaware Valley’s Carl Pallini, who is also unseeded, in one semifinal. Top-seeded Andrew Neidig of Delaware Valley will play No. 4 Rishi Mulloth of Abington Heights in the other.

In Class AA, fourth-seeded Robby Azzarelli of Holy Cross will face No. 1 Keller McGurrin of Scranton Prep. No. 2 Chris Kim of Wyoming Seminary will receive a bye into the final because third-seeded Joey Ferretti of Valley View has withdrawn from the tournament. Ferretti is traveling to Italy due to a family commitment.

During the regular season, Lehman went 7-7 as the No. 1 player for the Trojans. In a tiebreaker match against Wallenpaupack to qualify for the team championships, he and Reed Evans split the first two sets of their match before it was halted.

Then, Lehman knocked off Williamsport’s Nick Meale, who had been slotted as the No. 5 seed for the district tournament, in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5.

On Friday, Lehman had to fight his way into the main draw of the singles tournament as one of six first-round matches. He beat Scranton’s Aiden McNally, 6-1, 6-4, to earn a rematch with Evans.

“I knew the players who I would be facing and they are all good players, but i was confident I could compete,” Lehman, 17, said. “It was about consistency, hitting to the back hand and finishing points as quickly as I could because I had to conserve some energy.

“In that third match, I was cramping so bad that I had to call the trainer. I just went out there and tried to be proud of how I played.”

And now he is part of an all-Lackawanna League semifinal.

“I am extremely excited,” Lehman said. “Before this, I had never made it out of the first round of the tournament, so this is big.”

Contact the writer:

jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com @JobyFawcett26 on Twitter

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.